Sex education responsible for teenage pregnancies says MP

Conservative MP Philip Davies has hit out at “sex education fanatics”
Shipley Conservative MP Philip DaviesShipley Conservative MP Philip Davies
Shipley Conservative MP Philip Davies

The Shipley MP provoked fury on the Labour benches when he said sex education has increased and not reduced teenage pregnancies.

He was speaking as Hull MP Diana Johnson introduced a ten Minute Rule Bill which proposed using better sex education to prevent a repeat of the Rotherham child abuse scandal.

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Mr Davies though said a better solution would be to introduce a Bill banning political correctness while abolishing sex education.

To scenes of anger in the House of Commons, Mr Davies said: “We have been having sex education in schools for more than 40 years. The problems it was meant to solve, teenage pregnancies, unwanted pregnancies, most people would think the more sex education we have had the more teenage pregnancies we have had. They might want to look at the evidence and try less sex education or none might be better.”

The MP added: “Everyone agrees there is a massive problem with child abuse, but when the MP highlighted the problems in Rotherham, I don’t think people will think compulsory sex education would solve this, they would instead think the culture of political correctness that labour councils were cultivating which prevented good people from speaking out, If the MP brought forward an Anti-Political Correctness Bill in Labour Authorities it might have made some difference.

“I long for the day a minister will say this has nothing to do with Government, but it will never happen, politicians always want to be seen to do something.”

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He added: “Her speech was a prime example of someone who wants to be seen to do something with a policy that will not offend anyone but will not make a bit of difference.”

Ms Johnson said that while young people know about “the mechanics of sex,” the focus had to move onto “the potential dangers and threats they are facing.”

In some schools, she added, sex education was limited two just two hours at the end of their primary school years. Ms Johnson highlighted schemes in which children are taught about domestic abuse and bullying that should be taught in all schools as part of compulsory education on relationships.

“Leaving it to parents is failing, it is not an approach fit for the challenges of the future,” she said. “A modern education can safeguard children against abuse.”